Anointing Alaska

I am moving my blog to my new website…
Hopefully I can do better about keeping this updated.
> www.anointingalaska.org

I bought a pair of Bunny Boots the other day…
Bunny Boots is the widely-used nickname for U.S. Army Extreme Cold Vapor Barrier Boots. The liner-less bulbous boots retain warmth by sandwiching up to one inch of wool and felt insulation between two layers of rubber and are typically worn with one heavy wool sock.

These boots will keep my feet warm easily to -50… they are amazing boots. Let’s say its -50 outside, I step on some ice, and it breaks through and my feet go into the water below. Let’s say the boot fills with water… well you know its going to be cold right? Well these boots will actually warm the water. The rule is: don’t take off the boot (if you do, you’ll lose your foot)….

They aren’t the most fashionable piece of clothing, but hey… who cares.

Well I started school today. A lot of mixed emotions and thoughts. It was wierd, it has been 27 years since I have been in school but I now goal with a much different passion, reason, focus. I was sad because I was only going part-time, but then I thought how I have been pretty busy and when not busy I have found it difficult to become motivated to do anything else, so I wonder if I would even have time or be able to handle a full load at this time (especially with how intense this school is supposed to be).

So I go to class. PIBS it is called. Principles in Inductive Bible School. I started reading the text book last night and had a feeling that this course was going to be awesome and with how the teacher explained it and emphasized its value I underestimated its importance. But in class I got sad again. There were about 20 of us in class and all but probably one other student are there as full time students, enrolled in a program, are freshmen, going through this together. They had been through orientation together last week, placement exams, live together (most) and now are starting together… I really felt (1) sad I wasn’t part of that and (2) like an (old) outsider.

But with those sad, negative thoughts, I had other thoughts to combat those… it really doesn’t matter whether the room is filled with a bunch of 80 year olds or 20 year olds, it doesn’t matter that they are in a program and full-time… I am here for a purpose, I have a goal and I have to be focused on that. I can get upset over the schools policy of not letting me be full time and the money that decision is costing me (or not saving me), or I can just accept things for what they are and not let it get me down. Besides, I really don’t know how I could handle a full load anyways. So I am going to rise above my emotions and insecurities and focus on the prize and the end of this race.

A full load? I could only imagine what that would be like. This one class is pretty intense. A lot of reading, a lot of writing, a lot of bible study, I am guessing this class alone which is only 2 hours and 30 minutes of class time each week, will probably be 1 hour and 30 minutes of reading each week, and a 3-4 hours of writing. So probably about 7 or 8 hours each week.

But I am excited, my goal is to get a high A in the class.

Genesis 1:14 & 18b
14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years; … and God saw that it was good.

This is last nights sunset… it was good.

I have had a few emotional times I wanted to share… the most recent being when I took Juanita, Ryan and Trevor back to Anchorage last Sunday for them to catch their flight. That was a very traumatic evening. We all did a good job of ignoring the preverbial elephant in the room until it was time for them to go to security and then we all broke down. It was a great amount of sadness saying goodbye. I love my boys dearly, they mean so much to me, I have always been there for them and this step of faith of mine was not a choice of theirs. I stood there and saw the heartache I was causing them and it tore me apart. I do believe my decision is good, I believe God has called me here, but the sacrafice is so great, and it effects my boys so directly, it hurts.

I have had a rough week missing my boys, missing Juanita and I feel a heaviness and lonliness. In that lonliness, memories of my mom then surface and I feel the loss of her as well.

Speaking of my mom, there were a couple definate times that her death hit me hard since I’ve been here:

The first was about 4 weeks ago, when we first entered Alaska. We had been on the road for 3 weeks and all had been fine, but here I found myself driving down the road, having just left the border crossing and thinking, I made it, I’m in Alaska. I then was flooded with the emotions of my mom who was so proud of me, gave me so much encouragement and had such a desire to be part of what I was doing here and also wanted to come here herself. It was many miles of tears for me before I was able to get control of those emotions.

The second time was early last week. Ryan, Trevor, Juanita and I headed north to Fairbanks and we stopped by the North Pole. What an awesome place. We went to Santa’s House and from the moment I walked in, I found myself in tears. You see, my mom was all into Christmas. She decorated and decorated, she baked, she cooked, she was festive and loved that holiday. When I walked into Santa’s House it was Christmas everywhere you looked and all I could think about was my mom. She would have loved to have been in his house, would have loved to have heard about it, it was a place I wish I could have told her about.

I am sure I will have this emotional times. I will continue to think about my mom, and then of course missing my boys and missing Juanita. I miss everyone, I miss the laughing, the interaction, all the relationships… I am surprised. But God has a purpose for me, and through this I will become stronger, I will become better, I will become a brighter light for Him.

God bless…

48 Kids
A little less crazy today. But still a lot of kids. Total kids coming through the door this week for the first time equalled 74, one more than last year. Of those here is the break out a couple ways…
74 kids
30 – boys
44 – girls
7 – 3 year olds
4 – 4 year olds
4 – 5 year olds
9 – 6 year olds
14 – 7 year olds
7 – 8 year olds
18 – 9 year olds
5 – 10 year olds
8 – 11 year olds
3 – 12 year olds
1 – 14 year old
Today was a different day… we changed things a little, no magic (thank goodness – I’ll get back to that), more music, but the craft was a kite. We did the kite a few years ago and it was a great craft. One team member, Ken, bought 100 kites (donated them all) and the kids colored them and can fly them. These are awesome kites, they are durable, easy to color, and Ken had preassembled them so string just had to be attached and up they could go. All was going well until the kids lined up to fly them it started raining – - but you know, it was an opportunity for the kids to take these kites home, show their family and hopefully get their families involved some and be able to fly them with these kids (hopeful thinking?).
As far as magic, I forgot to mention on Thursday, Day 4… I ended with my strait jacket… and it has either been a long time, or I’ve gained a lot of wait, or that altitude or something, but I had a really hard time getting out. I got really concerned. Now one issue was the chain got around my neck pretty tight and I couldn’t move it, so I did have to get that loosened up and once that happened I was in better shape and got out but it was a close one. It just the way the week had been. I had not been on my A game for sure.
On this day I did decide to do one trick… it was a fairly simple trick but the important part of it was to deliver the message of salvation which I did using the basic Romans Road to Salvation. The trick went well, presentation went well. I then asked for all to bow their heads and close their eyes and I did the invitation. When I asked for hands for those that wanted to ask Christ into their heart, I looked out and saw most of the team with their heads down too… and I’m thinking “Help”… there were a number of little kids with there hands up and it just looked like a sea of hands to me. So afterwards I just made it very clear that if you raised your hand to please come and talk to a team member and let them know.
I had recognized one of the kids, and we talked to her. And then a little bit later one girl came to me and said “Mike, remember you asked that if anyone raised their hand and said the prayer that they should tell a team member?” and I said, “Yes” and she said, “Well I did”… so we talked a little more… and that was really cool.

VBS ends so quickly. The kids come and then poof they are gone. It is an incredible experience that I did a poor job of documenting this year, but I just ask you to think about joining us next July. It is awesome.

66 Kids
Biggest day so far, not just for 2010, but 2007, 2008, 2009, no days have hit 66 kids. So though that is a blessing, it is a lot of kids in the small amount of room we have. We are in Gulkana Church which is not big. Upstairs is the sanctuary and there is an expectation of respect for the sanctuary, so we can not do crafts or games up there. We do the lesson, sing, do magic, and have a lot of fun up there, but we have to be careful not to cross the line and become disrespectful to the “Lords House”. I don’t know if this is a denominational belief or traditional belief, because I don’t think there is any chapter or verse within the bible that would forbid us from playing games up there, however, it isn’t our church which is why it is important for us to respect the traditions of the church.
The basic format of our day is as follows:
Downstairs
> Check in
> Coloring
> Food
Upstairs
> Music
> Lesson
Downstairs
> Craft
Outside
> Games
Upstairs
> Recap
> Magic
> Prayer
Done
- we go from 12 to 3:30, though kids have been arriving even earlier, like 11:40am.
The downstairs area has a kitchen area in it, a serving area, and so we set up four rows (2 six foot tables in each) and we can seat 14 kids per table. Four rows gives you seating for 56. So to find room for the other 10 kids required us to tear down one of the serving tables, and well, we had kids everywhere.

A lot of kids to handle and it gets noisy in that little space.

But Thursday is a special day in our VBS. We informally did this three years ago, and then last year formalized it – and you can read about how it went last year in this blog entry:
http://anointingalaska.missionsplace.com/2009/07/17/thursday-day-7-blog-from-ryan/
This year was really cool as well. First of all, I was sick last year and so I didn’t make it. Secondly, Sherri decided not to do the “Loved and Chosen” so I think having someone different do it was a great idea. Who? Well God did it. Let me explain.

Sherri does a great job assigning us characters to “play” throughout the week to help in her lesson. And one of the team members, Jim, was assigned “God” this year. Jim has never been to Alaska before and not only that it was his first mission trip. When (during our prep meetings back in the lower 48) Jim was told he was going to be God, he was stressed and probably not thrilled with Sherri. But he shared in our devotion time how much of a blessing it had been and now today it was he who was to sit in the front of the room and as each childs name was called, he would have them walk up to him, he would have them look in his eyes, and he could share with them that God loves them and that they are precious, loved and chosen, and that he, Jim, was sent to tell them that. He, Jim, could see those kids answer that they knew and understood that, or explain if they didn’t. He, Jim, could see those kids faces inches from his light up as he shared that news. He, Jim, could see those smiles. It was a personal time for Jim that most other team members were unable to have. I saw some of it. Right before we began, Jim handed me his camera and I was right there in front taking pictures. I couldn’t not hear, but I saw the faces. I took pictures as each child hugged this big jolly man. Often for me it was hard to maintain my composure, as I felt moved for the kids, moved for Jim, and simply felt it was a special time.
Though I have all my pictures to still post, let me at least post an example of this day:

58 Kids
We were blessed with great weather during VBS, there would be rain in the morning, but it would break and the sun would come out.
Such a joy to see the faces of these kids. I can see how these kids have matured as well. Where some of these kids would break down and cry at very small things, now they are handling themselves so much better.
Also now we are seeing some siblings arrive. Two sisters now have brought there 3 year old brother and he was actually well behaved. (I remember him from last year, crying and crying and we had to say, ‘sorry, he is too young to be here’)… but again, what happens is that these kids are given the responsibility of raising the little ones, so when they go off to VBS, they end up bringing the little one as well.
Another sibling was the 3 year old sister of an 7 year old girl who has always drifted towards being in the arms of one of the Ferrari’s (myself included) over the past four years. She, the 7 year old, has always been so precious, yet so needed, and we can see her little sister will be following in her footsteps.
This week has been rough in the sense of preparation though. Personally, I have not been doing well with magic… I have had some rough edges. Partially its was one heckler among the kids, a little girl, “A” (and I will come back to that story). But I just have not been well prepared. Prior to leaving for Alaska I was so busy preparing to leave – my plan was to prepare my magic during the 3 weeks on the road… well it never came out of the box. So the effects themselves were ok… the problem was my presentation was poor… and the presentation is more important than the effect.
Back it “A”. “A” is a 9 year old girl who on Monday and Tuesday would sit and say “boring” to my tricks. She would say it loudly. Where most of the kids were enjoying it, she would then effect the outcome with her comments. On this day, Day 3, I decided to talk to her. So early in the day, when the kids went downstairs from the music/lesson time to craft/games time, I asked Anna to stay behind. I had Juanita stay with me. I found out that this day would be her last day at VBS because her family was living for the lower 48 but I proceded to talk to her about her behavior. I asked her if she liked my magic and she said “Yes, except when it was easy to figure out”… so I complimented her on being so bright, and apologized for performing some magic that was more “simple”, but explained it was difficult to select tricks to entertain the age group that we had (3 to 12). I also explained that when she would yell out “boring” it would effect how others saw the performance, etc. As I talked to her, I saw her eyes get more and more moist, until they were almost dripping (yet she smiled and nodded understandingly at me). I asked her if I was making her cry and she said “No”. I then asked her if she would like to see a trick she couldn’t figure out and she smiled big and said “Yes”. So I performed my version of Dr Daley’s last trick (this is a card trick where the red aces change places with the black aces). She was amazed, she loved it, she grinned big, and that was that.
I was really looking forward to see how her behavior would be during the magic later in the day but unfortunately her family came and picked her up before that time came. On a positive note, her behavior was out of line, I called her on it, and hopefully she will consider this in the future. Additionally, she got to see a trick that really impressed her. However, I think she really was just seeking attention, she really likes the magic, she really liked me (she would always smile and give me thumbs up throughout the day), I think she just needed attention and this was her way of acting out.

Anyways, it was a good day.

54 Kids today
17 more than yesterday… and oooh could we tell the difference. It was busy busy busy. It was noisy noisy noisy. But oh it was so great. These kids, I could tell you about them until the day I die but you will never understand how absolutely wonderful they are until you come see them. It was a wonderful day and I was just blessed to be there.
It is late, very late, and I wish I could write more, but I can’t, I have to go to bed.
I am so sorry this blog is so short. I will try to find some time to write more. All I can tell you is these kids are incredible.

37 kids today
The count was down from last year but that is okay.
We know, we trust, we believe that God will bring to VBS those kids that need to be there.

We had 11 first timers. So only 26 kids from prior years so that is a lot of missed faces from prior years. But whether we have 70, 100 or 15 kids, we will be blessed to reach out to them this week.

This weeks theme is “DON’T RUN FROM GIANT’S”, with a subtheme as “The Story of David”. We are talking about those giants in our lives, those overwhelming things.

So 37 kids and they were great.

We have 15 on our team this year; 5 first timers, 3 have returned for their second year, 5 have been here three of our four years, and 2 of us have been here all four years. So the kids that have been there before remember us, just as we remember them.

It is really great to see how they have grown and matured. The are all so much taller, more outgoing, their personalities are forming, especially the littler ones of years past, the ones that were 2, 3, 4 and now are 6, 7, 8. Unfortunately, I am falling asleep. So that is it for day 1.